Venezuelans head for presidential palace to protest against election result

People in Caracas have been banging pots and pans from their homes and on the streets in protest against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s claim of victory in the country’s disputed election.

Crowds of people have been making their way, by foot, to Miraflores – the presidential palace – in protest.

People are walking from some of the slums around the city.

One group stood outside in the pouring rain to bang pots and pans and chant “Afuera” (Out) and “Libertad” (Freedom).

Others posted pictures of the crowds on social media with captions including “knock down the dictator” and “everyone to Miraflores”.

Footage showed tyres burning on highways and large numbers of people on the streets, on foot and on bikes.

The opposition has disputed Mr Maduro’s declaration of victory as fraudulent, saying its candidate Edmundo González won convincingly with 70% of the vote.

Opposition parties had united behind Mr González in an attempt to unseat President Maduro after 11 years in power, amid widespread discontent over the country’s economic crisis.

Opinion polls ahead of the election suggested a clear victory for the challenger.

A number of Western and Latin American countries, as well as international bodies including the UN, have called on the Venezuelan authorities to release voting records from individual polling stations.

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